Joan Olivé got his Grand Prix chance in 2001 after winning the Spanish 125 Championship the previous season. After a year of adaptation in the shadows of Toni Elías and Dani Pedrosa, great things were expected of Olivé in 2002, but his best result was a third position at Assen and he only took 12th overall. He switched to the 250cc class the next year, also taking 12th in his rookie season, but having joined the Italian Campetella Racing team in 2004, he experienced a tough season and dipped to 19th.

In 2005, he returned to the 125cc scene with the Nocable.it Race team and finished 14th in the standings, before a move SSM Racing again onboard an Aprilia, saw him conclude the 2006 season 10th in the championship. The 2007 season saw him attempt to push ahead alongside Italian Mattia Pasini with the Polaris World team and he improved his position in the final standings to eighth, with second place finishes in Turkey and Australia.

With a move onto Derbi machinery in 2008 the Catalan rider started the championship well, with second place results in Qatar and Portugal, but he was unable to maintain that form throughout the year and ended up seventh. In 2009, riding again with Derbi Racing alongside Pol Espargaró and Efrén Vázquez, Olivé was only able to manage one podium, third place in Germany, finishing the season in ninth.

Stepping up to the Moto2 class with Antonio Banderas’ Jack & Jones team, the Catalan will be hoping to inject a bit of Hollywood glamour to his riding style for 2010.